Flower for the Day Celosia 9-28-16

Celosia are among my favorites  because of their color and the ease with which their seeds can be collected for next years growth. They are in the amaranth  family and their flower heads grow into several shapes. With fasciation* the heads are shaped like rooster coxcombs.

*Fasciation is a fusion of parts resulting in a flat ribbon like structure

Flower for the Day Zinnia IV

These are the last of the zinnias. They just keep blooming and they get so tall that they bend

to the ground and when they get to the ground the turn their flower head back up to the sun.

Zinnia III

These red zinnias show up in several different forms.

Flower for the Day Zinnia II 9-23-16

This zinnia is providing nurture to a Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio troilus). It is also called the green-clouded butterfly when the blue is replaced by green.. This year I have seen many of these swallowtails but no monarchs.

Flower for the Day Zinnia I 9-22-16

How about some zinnias for a few days. I have them in many colors and shapes. I love to see them

grow from seed as they last into late fall.

ZINNIA

  Zinnia…garland of evening; I  yield to such innocent blush;  xanthic as your  moonlight's hue  winging along the  field's  minty air--  vulnerable are those eyes that can  unleash a charm seen only by a few.  Time and again, a mild gloss  shimmers on your curved outline  releasing  petal drops ever  quietly : crepe tassels bobbing  to  peep among embroidered leaves  offering sweet incense for  nightfall's prints etched  unto  meadows, wafting  with tuneful  lilts of stems bathed in dew.  Oh, you  kindle a twirl  with floral sisters  jigging daintily as if to pull me closer  in  a prance; the one I dream about  high on a wood's lucent  trail.  Gently, my arms swing around, back and  forth until I lay on your zinnia  confetti  embracing my tingled flesh,  limbs,  deep within your moistened soil… oh how  corollas glaze into my Asian sky,  breathlessly dressed by night, leaves flickering  as you wave goodbye when summer ends!      -------------  First ever Z Y X contest  Sponsor: john lawless  10/12/2015

Copyright © nette onclaud | Year Posted 2015

 

Flower for the Day Aspen Daisy and

I love portraits of flowers. This one was taken on a trail out of Upper Beaver Meadows in Rocky Mountain National Park last month. It is the last of my Colorado series. Beside the downed aspen tree are colorful asters. The lavender flower is an Aspen Daisy (Erigeron specious) an aster with its many thin rays and yellow central disk. I am not certain of the name of the yellow flowers. Can anyone help me here?

Don's Blog Classic Question 9-17-16

"If a tree falls in the dark of night in the side yard and everyone is asleep 

does it make a sound"

The answer: No (At least no one I know heard it).

Flower for the Day Queens Crown 9-17-16

Queens Crown (Rhodiola rhodantha) alsoRose Crown is a sedum  in the stonecrop family. These were filling a meadow by Long Lake in the Indian Peaks Wilderness area near Ward, Colorado.

"Rhodiola rhodantha is a succulent plant, with thick, fleshy leaves growing close together in a regular arrangement all along the stem. Those towards the upper end turn bright red as they mature, starting at the edges, while all become red as they start to wither. Stems are topped with a rounded cluster of red or pink flowers; each has 5 or 6 small petals, pointing upwards, surrounded by the same number of pointed sepals. Inside are reddish stamens with dark purple tips, and a split stigma, while underneath are reddish bracts.

They  inhabit wet areas of mountains, up to 12,000 feet, found most commonly in bogs or along streambanks. This species is very similar to rhodiola integrifolia (king's crown), differences being the generally lighter flower color, and the shape of the flower cluster (rounded rather than flat-topped)."

I try to remember the name of the more common queens crown as the one with the rounded flower head.

Flower for the Day Juniper Berry

A juniper berry is the female seed cone produced by the various species of junipers. It is not a true berry but a cone with unusually fleshy and merged scales, which give it a berry-like appearance. The cones from a handful of species, especially Juniperus communis, are used as a spice, particularly in European cuisine, and also give gin its distinctive flavour.

Also I love to look a them.

Flower for the Day Indian Pipe 9-11-16

Yesterday after a concert by folk singer RJ Cowdery (www.RJCOWDERY.com) at the Historic Log Cabin at Innsbrook Missouri, my friend and wild flower enthusiast Barb showed me the very rare Indian Pipe flower. Indian pipe (Monotropa uniflora) or ghost plant, is an herbaceous perennial  which is scarce in occurrence.

Don's Blog The Overflow II Giant Cataract

Here are two brief clips of the Aspen Lake Spillway Cataract.

Don's Blog The Overflow 9-10-16

I have  sent this image of Lake Aspen before so what is going on here? It does look like you would need hip boots to get to the picnic table.

Flower for the Day Bistort 9-9-16

Bistort is an alpine meadow flower which also was found in Greenland last year.

I love the pink tint which is almost indiscernible.

Flower for the Day Sticky Geranium 9-5-16

The sticky geranium is an alpine flower in the rose family. Thanks to Jackie for the ID.

Flower for the Day Yellow Coneflower 9-4-16

Yellow coneflowers (Ratibida pinnata) grow to over 5 feet tall. They are hardy

and last for months with minimal water.

 

Flower for the Day Alpine White Gentian 9-2-16

This year the white gentian was very common in alpine and subalpine meadows.

It thrives in full sun.

Flower for the Day Blue Gentian 9-1-16

There was a whole field of blue gentians in a peaceful meadow by the Cache La Poudre River. It is a

delicate and spectacular trumpet shaped alpine flower.